The Kent County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday afternoon released the details surrounding a deputy’s broken leg suffered during an altercation with a suspect Saturday.
At 9 a.m. Saturday, the department received a tip that a suspect wanted on several outstanding warrants was at a residence in the Camp Lake area near Sparta and Algoma townships. The suspect was seen leaving in a white vehicle prior to deputies arriving at the address.
Deputy Scott Abbatoy then spotted the suspect’s vehicle on Long Lake Avenue near 15 Mile Road. Abbatoy conducted a traffic stop, the driver — later identified as a 30-year-old Kent County man with addresses in both Sparta and Cedar Springs — pulled over at the entrance to a mobile home park, the suspect jumped out of the vehicle’s passenger side and fled on foot into the mobile home park, Abbatoy gave chase, caught up with the suspect and a physical altercation ensued, with both Abbatoy and the suspect ending up on the ground as the deputy attempted to take the suspect into custody.
Abbatoy was able to confine the suspect until additional officers arrived. The man was handcuffed and taken to the Kent County Jail in Grand Rapids.
Abbatoy suffered a broken leg during the altercation and was transported by ambulance to the hospital. He will require surgery with an expected lengthy recovery time due to the nature of the injury.
Abbatoy is an 18-year veteran of the Kent County Sheriff’s Office.
The suspect was arrested and charged with resisting and opposing a police officer causing serious injury.
The man also was found to have several outstanding warrants including assault and battery, domestic violence and failure to appear for a probation violation hearing charges in Kent, Montcalm and Ionia counties.
